Privacy and the State

As an amendment to motion S4M-12491 in the name of Willie Rennie (Privacy and the State), leave out from "and the concerns" to end and insert "; notes the concerns of the British Medical Association Scotland and the Royal College of General Practitioners that sharing personal information registered for health purposes with the government for the identification of income tax payers in particular would seriously undermine trust between doctors and patients, with the result that patients may feel reluctant to seek medical help from their doctor; notes also the concerns of privacy protection campaigners such as Liberty, Big Brother Watch and the Open Rights Group that allowing information to flow between health and tax agencies sets a dangerous precedent; believes that NHS identification should only ever be used for other purposes with express and informed consent; recognises the need for identification of all citizens who will be required to pay tax in Scotland; believes that the current proposals should be halted, alternative options should be sought and that the Scottish Government should consult further, and further believes that any future proposals should be subject to full parliamentary scrutiny and primary legislation."